The Assistant
by UmbrellaScientist84
Summary: Prologue/Chapter One- Stephanie was a Mercenary on a gun running mission with her team until she caught the eye of a Senior Umbrella Executive.With her team decimated, her only chance of survival is to work for Umbrella, and the Colonel. It soon becomes clear that he has more in store for her than just being his assistant. M-For violence and language


The Assistant – A Resident Evil FanFic

By Meghan Zimmerman

Note- Resident Evil is copyright to Capcom, I make no profit from this story and have included original characters.

**Prologue**

**West Africa- March 5, 1993**

The civil war was taking longer than expected. The rebels made good advancements despite much sacrifice. Despite the gains, the war was turning in the favor of the government, and word has it that it has been getting aid from an unknown beneficiary. Probably some western country, which doesn't make my job any easier and only, puts more pressure on me. I wouldn't be so worried, if it only affected me but it affected my team as well.

For the past couple of months, we have been gun running for the Rebels bringing them cheap but effective weaponry fresh from the black market. As our jeeps travel towards the village where we will make the trade, I pull my long brown hair back, and check my holstered 9mms on each side of my hips. Being team leader made me paranoid as I double check our location and our own ammo. Things could go south at anytime and it helps to be prepared.

I'm sitting in front by our driver Bobby from South Boston, his New England accent seemed out of place with his large muscle frame. He had worked for a security firm until trading it in for a more exciting job as a Merc. Behind us were Eddie and Steve 2 very different people, always bickering about something and only agreeing with each other, when they have a pint or more of alcohol in their system.

In the Jeeps behind us is the weapons payload and the driver Karl, a very thin German with blonde hair and a tan after being under the hot African sun for too long. The Jeep in front of us carried the 4 other members. There was Julia, a blonde haired technician for all our equipment, she was basically my second in command, and could hold her own in a fight. Jules, the driver was a mechanic from France, he is the most idealistic out of all of us, and can fix just about anything. Then there was Chris, the newest member, and perhaps the most troublesome. While he was good as a scout, he could be stubborn at times, and sometimes paranoid. The last member was our demolition expert, Vaclav. Vaclav came to us from another Merc group as master bomb maker and diffuser.

The mood was paranoid, there was something different about this run and we all felt it.

"So how long until we reach the village?" Steve put in yelling over the wind. His long black hair flying every where.

"We should be there within 30 minutes or so" I called back.

"You know, I have a bad feeling about this Steph. It doesn't feel right, where are all the checkpoints? We should have run into a few by now." Eddie asked leaning forward in his seat.

He had a point, we usually run into about 3 or 4 checkpoints in which we would just bribe our way through. I'm starting to think that we should cancel the run and try again later. No point in risking the team.

"I know, perhaps our friends couldn't wait or were found out. Either way, I think we should cancel the run. I'll call up ahead to Julia." I replied taking the radio out from its holding case on my belt. I hold down the button and call ahead.

"Julia, this is Steph, pick up. Over." I released the button and brushed a loose piece of hair away from my eye.

"This is Julia, you feel it too? Over." Julia's voice was uneasy.

"Yeah, I think we do. How about we cancel this one and wait it out? Over."

"I think your right. I'll tell Jules to slow it down. Wait, there is something up ahead. Shit! It's fucking tank. What the hell? The Rebels said nothing about a military presence here!" Julia said her voice going up a pitch.

"Julia stay calm, tell Jules to slow it down only a little. We are turning around now!" I replied but it was too late.

As Jules was about to turn around, there came a boom, and the jeep in front exploded in fire and twisted metal. Along side the blasted metal we could see parts of our former team mates as well being blown back towards us.

We barely escaped a crash with the burning wreckage, as Bobby steered a hard left, and as we breathed a sigh of relief. We noticed from behind the tank, a couple of military jeeps loaded with men with machine guns were speeding our way.

"Shit! How the fuck are we going to get out of this!" Eddie screamed as he noticed the tank also started to follow. "Fuck!"

"Will you shut the hell up!" Steve yelled at Eddie.

Both were starting to fight as the military jeeps were catching up. We were in open terrain. All desert with no places to escape to and chances of out running our pursuers were next to nil.

I looked behind us to check on Karl. He had managed to turn alongside us and was gunning the gas as we were. As the Jeeps caught up behind us, the soldiers started to open fire. There was about 3 jeeps, 2 one each side of us, and 1 taking the middle position.

"Fuck!" Bobby exclaimed as we all ducked down.

Fuck was right, as I remembered there were also explosives in Karl's jeep. If one bullet hits one then we are all done for. I could see in the rear view mirror, Karl's jeep was zigzagging as he was ducking and driving.

I could hear breaking of glass in the back as 2 bullets entered into our jeep, warm liquid fell on my face, and a burning sensation of the bullet grazing my left cheek. More warm liquid started to run down my cheek. I checked in the back and Steve had made the mistake of lifting his head at the wrong time.

Steve was slumped down. His head was a bloody mess. My cheek was on fire and I slowly felt my cheek and quickly pulled my hand away, it was a very deep gash.

"Fuck! Fuck! Steve's dead! Goddammit!" Eddie yelled as he wiped blood from his face and neck.

"What the fuck are we going to do?" Bobby screamed as he steered to miss a protruded rock.

"I don't know! We can out run that tank but those jeeps. We can slow down to be able return fire but that will leave us exposed to that damn tank. Not to mention if any those explosives go off in Karl's jeep!" I yelled

I knew we couldn't open fire in case, we would hit Karl or one of the explosives, but within a moment my worst fear happened. Karl's jeep had blown a tire and was swerving uncontrollably. If it wasn't for the fact that we were travelling so fast and Karl slowing down to keep control. We probably all would have been vaporized. It took only one bullet and the jeep exploded as the inevitable circumstances happened. There were only 2 cases of C4 in the jeep as well as 6 cases of guns and ammo. But it was enough to send our jeep flying through the air and somersaulting back to the ground.

Thankfully, I had buckled up and wasn't thrown out. My head though slammed against the window shattering it. My vision was going in and out. The jeep finally settled, the dust settled and I can see through my fading vision that the jeep had landed upside down.

Bobby was unconscious, I couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. His hands dangling and blood was dripping down from a large gash on his forehead. His head must have slammed against the steering wheel.

Eddie was a different case, my neck screamed in pain, and I nearly blacked out with the effort to just turn my head. He was slumped over, his body twisted on the floor that was once the roof. His neck was clearly broken from the impact. His head lying in a strange position and blood clotted in his black hair.

I turned my head slowly to look forward; I could hear the military jeeps coming to screeching halt. Either their training had gotten better very quickly or they had prior Intel about the explosives. They should have been fried alongside us. As I could hear the slamming of doors and men yelling at each other in the local dialect; my consciousness started to slip away. I barely felt the one soldier checking my pulse and start yelling. I could see as my vision blurred even further that nobody was checking the others. My head gave into the massive pain and I slipped into unconsciousness just as the soldiers managed to open my door, and started to drag me out.

**Chapter One**

**Raccoon City Underground Laboratory Medical Bay- March 10, 1993**

I exhaled deeply as I woke up from my 5 day coma. It had to be all a nightmare, but as I tried to reach to touch my one side of the face, my hands were stopped by restraints, and by looking around I could tell it was some hospital. State of the art one by that, I can't be in Africa then, where the hell am I? I thought as a tall redheaded nurse came in and seemingly got a start when she noticed I was sitting up or at least trying to. Damn Restraints!

"Miss Addams, I'm glad to see that you're finally awake! Let me check you over with some small tests." She said as went to the sleek silver metal cupboard across from us. She brought over a tray full of thermometers, blood pressure machine, and other stuff that I remember from going to the doctor's as a little girl.

"Please where am I and why am I wearing restraints?" I asked her confusion and panic was rising in me.

The nurse strapped on the blood pressure apparatus around my arm and went to work measuring. I could see a name tag that read "Arlene".

"I'm not allowed to tell you where you are that will be the Colonel's duty to do so but you are in restraints for your own protection."

"The Colonel?" I asked as Arlene finished taking my blood pressure and wrote down the results on the clipboard that she had under her arm.

"He is one of the higher levels here. I'm sorry, I can't tell you anymore but he is supposed to visit you this afternoon so you will have answers at that time." Arlene smiled politely.

"Ok, thanks" I said returning the politeness. "When can I have these restraints taken off?"

"I'll check with my supervisor. You seem ok so they should be off soon." Arlene smiled as she continued to write on the clipboard.

She finished her routine checks on me, my temp was normal, my pupil response was normal, and all was pointing to a fast recovery. Well, all except my cheek. Arlene explained that the bullet had grazed deep enough that it needed many stitches and will leave a pretty big scar. I still had a gauze bandage on it and they said the stitches will come out by tomorrow.

Arlene left with a smile and the promise to return about the restraints. I figure they were worried that I would try to escape or go frantic once I woke up to the shock. No, my curiosity is too much to try to escape at least until I know what is going on here. I'm not under arrest at least not yet or I would be in a less clean environment than this.

All I can do while these restraints are still on me is lie down and think over the past week or so. My whole team died except for me, I was unsure if I was a prisoner or a guest, and somebody important wanted to meet me. Grief took over, my whole team died, how is that possible? How did it happen and who tipped off the government? Each team member death coming back to me and I could pretty much see it happening again as I closed my eyes.

As I slept, I did see it again in my dreams, every detail from the first explosion and disintegration of the jeep in front of us till the part I lost conscientious.

I slipped out of sleep slowly at first, a few hours later, I could feel someone's hand placed softly on my wounded cheek, and I woke up with a start.

"Miss Adamms, it's great to see that you're awake. I'm sorry for the startle but you seemed to be having a nightmare."

As I became more aware of the surroundings around me, I could see the man more clearly. He was tall, grey haired with one bang longer than the other, his left eye was scarred shut, and his voice had a thick Russian accent. His grey sleek trenchcoat was almost as tall as he was and he was wearing a white scarf around his neck. On his right chest I can see an insignia that I recognize but unsure. It reminds me of a white and red iron cross.

"You're the Colonel?" I asked wanting to rub my head to try to fully awake and to try to massage a growing migraine away. The restraints are still on, damn it.

"I see my reputation precedes me." He said while giving a small laugh. "Yes, I am. I wanted to meet with you with a proposition."

I watched him as he walked over to the left side of the bed and sat in the chair placed next to the bed. Proposition? I still had so many questions about what is going on.

"I see that you are confused, which is normal, the others were the same way. Go ahead and ask what you want to know." The Colonel said giving a patient smile.

"Where am I and who exactly are you?" I asked as I stopped trying to sit up. The restraints made anything other than lying down impossible.

"You're in the Medical Bay of the Raccoon City Underground Laboratory. It is owned and operated by the Umbrella Corporation. I trust you know who they are. My name is Sergei Vladimir, a humble servant of this great institution. "

"Yes, I know but what would a Pharmaceutical company want with me and giving the circumstances of my arrival here, did Umbrella have anything to do with the death of my team?" I asked, I noticed The Colonel or Sergei sigh and give a little frown.

"That leads me to my proposition; I am in need of a personal assistant. I have plenty of bodyguards but need an able assistant to manage many things with me. You'll travel with me everywhere and do as I say. I've read over your details and have come to the conclusion that you are perfect for the job. " He gave a pause to register how I was taking the information so far.

I didn't give a reply not at the moment, I pretty much felt where this was going, and I didn't like it.

"What about my team, what happened exactly?"

"Your team's death was unfortunate and unexpected. We had told government to only pursue and arrest but it seems that the Rebels had burned much of the villages and towns that they entered. The weapons that they used to ravage those populations were traced back to you and your team. It seems when they pursuing your team through the desert, their passions got the best of them but luckily you survived."

"What if I refuse your offer?" I already knew the answer.

"It would be most unfortunate seeing that you are now labeled by the right authorities as a war criminal. Although you have reportedly been killed, thanks to Umbrella, you could have mysteriously been revived. With over thousands killed due to the rebels, it would make for an easy trial and verdict."

I just laid there, my mind going a million miles an hour. It seems that the mysterious benefactor for the Western African government was Umbrella. How can I be apart of a corporation that helped kill my team? But yet, we had dealings with rebels that had much blood on their hands. Karma is a bitch alright.

"I will give you sometime to think it over, Stephanie. I will return to you tomorrow at the same time." Director Vladimir said as he stood up. He walked over to me, paused for awhile and once again placed the back of his hand over the medical gauze covering the stitches. "I certainly hope that you decide to take the job. I feel that you would be a valuable asset to the Corporation as well as to me."

He gave a smile and then turned to leave the room at a steady pace. Within a few moments, Arlene returned.

"Good news, the Colonel said that your restraints can be taken off." Arlene smiled and produced a key and unlocked the restraints. "He doesn't normally meet with possible recruits himself."

"Am I allowed to move around?" I asked ignoring her statement. I really didn't like any sugar coating of the predicament that I am in. I know I should probably be flattered but by what? Blackmail is blackmail regardless if he came himself or sent someone in his place.

"It is limited to this wing but we have a snack bar and there's plenty room to walk around. The Colonel also had some clothes sent over for you. It's in the closet to the right." Arlene said as she stood across from me.

"Thanks." Was all that I could say. It was nice but a little unsettling that he knew my sizes but he did say he was watching me over for sometime.

"You're welcome. Well, I'll let you get changed and if you need anything, I'll be at the front desk." She said as she turned and left.

For the first time in 5 days, I sat up, and got out of bed. I walked around the room for a while. My legs needed to get all the cramps out of them. The more I walked, the more I got restless, and thinking that I should try to escape. I've escaped many times from capture during my times of gun running in both South America and Eastern Europe. There was one big problem though. I'm currently underground and I have no idea the schematics of the facility or how deep underground we are. Escape is looking far fetched and even if I did manage to miraculously pull it off; my whole life will be on the run. I hated it but it looks like I will have to take up Director Vladimir's offer. It can't be that bad though, it seems I'll be a secretary and that had me worried. From running from bullets to a desk job, yeah that sounded fun.

Just another page of my life is over, from soldier, to mercenary, and now a secretary. I walked over to the closet. I pushed aside the sliding door, to find a pair of khaki cargo pants and a black tank top. Below the hanging clothes, I could see a pair of black military boots. My favorite clothes actually, comfortable, and easy to wear when in a hurry. He has been watching me for a while.

I thought about getting a shower but then thinking of the gauze on my cheek. I'll just go to the sink in the bathroom and splash some water around my body. Shower will have to wait till tomorrow. I took out the clothes and boots and laid them over the bed. Walking over to the bathroom, I opened the door, and was surprised at the size of it. It was medium size, with a bathtub and a shower combo. Well, I can take a bath at least. I gave a small smile probably the first in a long time.

There was a towel rack near the sink and I looked at the white towels hanging there. On the right side of the lower corner, the insignia of Umbrella was there. I brought the clothes from the bed and hanged them up on the hooks of the bathroom door. I closed the door to the bathroom and started drawing myself a hot bath. Steam rising up from the water, this will help sooth the still aching muscles.

I undressed as the water continued to fill the tub. There was a full length mirror on the wall beside the sink. I checked over my body, to no surprise it was a black and blue mess, and it seemed to tell the story of my life. From running bases on the school's softball team from running guns, and it seemed to never end. Though did I want it to end? Going from a life of always on the run from something to a plain boring life; a normal life that was secure but routine.

The water was finished filling as I turned off the facets and stepped foot into the tub. I sank down careful to not get my face wet and I just laid there letting hot water soak into my muscles relaxing them. I felt ten times better already and now I can think clearly. Gun running for the Rebels in West Africa was a mistake, in the beginning they were being slaughtered, and at the end they turned to be the butchers. The team took a vote to continue to supply the guns, they might have had blood in their hands but they paid very well. That is were we went wrong, our team wasn't assembled to be like any other Mercs but that was how it ended.

There was the Colonel's offer to think about, well not much to think about. Either join or end up in some war crimes tribunal. There was more going on than what meets the eye. Arlene said the Colonel didn't visit the other recruits that ended up in the hospital, so what makes me so special? Oh well, perhaps its just cause I was the only one that nearly died. It doesn't matter; it seems that I have no choice but to agree.

I woke up about a half an hour later still in the tub not realizing that I had even drifted off to sleep. The water was now cold; I got out and wrapped myself in the one towel. Luckily I didn't sink into the water and my bandage was still dry. I let myself get warm before I would dress to not catch a cold. After wearing my new clothes that fit perfectly, I wondered if Arlene had measured me while I was comatose.

As I left the bathroom, I was at loss on what to do now; I had till tomorrow until I was free to go. I decided to walk around the ward to alleviate my restlessness. It was sleek just like the room, it gone on for about a half of a mile it looked like. The walls being primarily white and the borders silver, the symbol of Umbrella is spread out though out the hallway. I come up on the nursing station and smile at Arlene, who was busy doing paperwork next to a brunette nurse. She returned the smile and went on with her work.

I could see at the end of the hall there was the snack bar. Feeling a little hungry and wanting something different other than hospital food. The food here was pretty good compared to other hospitals. Looking around, I could see very few other occupied beds, and that didn't surprise me. Employees of a Pharmaceutical company most likely get discounts on medicine and vaccinated. There were a couple of doors with small windows, looking over at the next wing; it must be their ICU since there seems to be a lot more equipment lined along the wall. There was a few guards roaming around the hall giving me a casual nod but in the next wing, there was many more guards standing post.

I continue on to the snack bar not wanting to look to curious. These guards I noticed was well armed with 9mms holstered on their hip and chest holsters. Inside the snack bar, there were a few guards on break joking around amongst themselves. Most of them paused and gave me a quick look over. I could see on the other side of the room was a counter and a register manned by a blonde teenage girl that seemed busy studying over one of the guards. On the counter was pre-packaged sandwiches and not the cheap mayo types either but there was a turkey club as well as a half of an Italian sub. Giving a half smile I walked over to the Italian Sub but frowned when I noticed it cost 5 dollars. And just remembering that I have no money on me, I gave a sigh, went over and sat down at the nearest empty table.

Placing my hand in my right pocket, I got surprised by the feeling of paper, and pulling out a 10 dollar bill. I gave a small laugh, which made a few of the guards look my way. Paying no attention to their looks I went over and purchased the half Italian Sub. Going back to the empty table, I opened up the plastic container, and very unlady like started eating. One of the guards stopped talking and walked over to me, his blonde hair swept back and his green eyes pleasant. He sat down in the chair next to me and I can see the girl behind the register looking a little green eyed herself.

"I see you really like Subs" He said his voice as pleasant as his eyes.

"It's been a long time since I had decent food." I said wiping away some tomato and dressing from the side of my mouth.

"Back from overseas?"

"You can say that. Just came back 5 days ago." I said as I took another bite of the sub but this time a little more lady like. "West Africa didn't offer much of a cuisine"

"West Africa? Soldier?" He asked

"Former Soldier turned Mercenary" I said

He sat back in his chair a little. "So what brings you here of all places?"

"I was offered a secretary job with Umbrella. A huge changes from the military, mercenary life but a job all the same."

"Yeah, tell me about it, I was a soldier as well, Marines stationed outside of New York City. What about you?"

"Marines as well but stationed outside of Pittsburgh but the soldier life wasn't for me."

"Yeah, I got out and came to work for Umbrella, good pay and benefits. Name is Justin by the way."

"Stephanie" I said as I finished up my sandwich.

"So what was it like being a mercenary?"

"It was exciting but a hard way of life. Not knowing, when or if you would be captured or worse. I just lost my whole team to gun and tank fire. So it's unpredictable and in some cases takes a lot away from you."

Justin gave a nod of his head "Sorry to hear about your team"

"We been through a lot my team and I. Knew it was too good to last."

Just as Justin was about to speak up, his fellow guards was standing up, and about to head towards the door.

"Justin, it's time to get back to work, come on." The one guard yelled over. He had black hair and a goatee.

"Well, I guess I have to go. See you around?" He said as he got up.

"Sure, I leave tomorrow but who knows."

Justin gave a small salute and turned to leave the snack bar. I was alone now well except for the teenage girl that was still looking at me a little jealous. Standing up, I went over to the nearest trash can and threw out the plastic container. Seeing a wide selection of Soda cans in a small refrigerator, I chose the one that I remember drinking, when I was still in high school. I gave a smile to the young girl, looking at her name tag with neat fanciful cursive was the name Trish. After paying for the soda, I turned and left the snack bar.

Making my way back to my room, it occurred to me that I no longer mourned my team, and that made me feel guilty. It felt good to be moving on with my life but at the expense of my team? Its life, we either move forward or we stay stagnate. I'm choosing to move forward, my mind keeps telling me, and I'm starting to go along with it.

I walked into my room and noticed a book lying on my freshly made bed. "The Colonel sent it over for you." Arlene said as she passed by me on her way back to the nurse's station.

Going over to the bed, I picked it up and looked it over. There was a sticky note on it, "Read this from cover to cover- Sergei" I removed the note from the cover. It was ivory colored with the Umbrella logo on the top with the title "Umbrella Corporation Manual". Impressed I opened to see the first page. It had the company name and below it was what seemed to be their motto "Obedience breeds Discipline, Discipline breeds Unity, Unity breeds Power, Power is life." My eyes rose as I thought _"What the hell type of Pharmaceutical Company is this?"_

Of course what type of drug company would hijack, kill, and blackmail to just get a personal assistant for one of their Directors? I guess I'll find out soon enough. I go to the same chair as Sergei was sitting on earlier. I open up my can of soda with the book safely away on the table near the bed. As the soda is opened and the fizz settles, I take a drink and instantly get the feeling of nostalgia. I relish the feeling for a little while and then replace the can with the book in my hand.

I open it up and start reading, it's a rather thick book that features many procedures and I notice that different type of employees have their own set of manuals. This just features the basics of the procedures from security, biohazard containment, as well as proper clearances. I hold the book with one hand and sip at my soda with the other.

Most of the night, I spend reading the manual, and re-reading some parts. At half past midnight, I decide to put the book down and get some sleep. It's been a long day and tomorrow will most likely be the same. Placing the book next to the bed, I turn out the light, and slept.

When I woke it was early morning, luckily I had no dreams last night, and felt fully refreshed. Still aching but nonetheless feeling better. I decided to take a quick bath and went over to the bathroom. A few moments later, I had finished and dried my hair with a towel and redressed. My hair still wet, I walked down to the snack bar, and got a cup of coffee. The young girl "Trish" was replaced by a young male named "Scott". I sat at the same table and drank my coffee before heading back to my room.

Once back in my room, I decided to spend the remaining time before the Colonel arrives, reading over the manual again. I stayed like that until Arlene came in with her clipboard and once again went over to the cupboard.

"Morning, Miss Adamms. The Colonel is currently on his way here. I just need to do some checks before you are discharged as well as remove the stitches."

Arlene went through the normal tests of blood pressure, temp, and reflex. She then proceeded to take off the gauze and removed my stitches. Just as she finished in walked the Colonel, he was wearing the same outfit as yesterday; he walked over to my bed side, and waited until Arlene had walked out of the room. He was early this time.

"Good morning, Miss Adamms. So what is your decision on my proposal?" He said in his thick deep Russian accent.

"I've decided to take up the offer, sir." I said as I stood up. As I stood next to him, I could see that he really is very tall, and very well built. He must work out like crazy.

"I'm glad to see that we will be working together then. You may call me Sergei, when we are alone. If it is alright to call you Stephanie?"

"Sure, no problem. I was never much for formalities." I said as I grabbed the manual from the side table.

He gave a small laugh "I know. Come let us go. I've already had you discharged and training begins at once." He looked at my scarred cheek seemingly thinking over something.

Fighting the urge to ask him if he has been stalking me, rather than just keeping tabs on me. I feel his hand on my back as we walk out the door. I instantly notice a tall man in a white trenchcoat but he was paler than normal and his eyes had some kind of Sci-Fi Orange looking goggles over them.

"Don't mind Ivan. He is my personal bodyguard." Sergei said.

We made a turn to the right as Ivan had taken his position walking behind us on Sergei's left. The end of the corridor on the right side of the ward led us to a lobby like area with green plants dotting the area alongside simple metal benches. Sergei had by then removed his hand from my back as we waited for an elevator to the bottom levels.

Our trip was mainly made in silence except for the sound of Sergei's boots on the ground. We made many turns after the long elevator ride down. We finally made our way to a train platform. It had room for only 2 trains, the tracks led to a very long tunnel, and there was a train already waiting for departure.

"Umbrella's shuttle system to the surface. It will only take a few moments." Sergei said as we boarded the train with a few others.

A few of the other passengers nodded to Sergei as we passed them to take our seats.

"Did you do as I requested?" Sergei asked gesturing to the manual on my lap, after we settled in our seats. Ivan sitting behind us, he never talked, and he never showed any facial expressions.

"Yes, read it all last night and went over it many times after that." Sitting on his left side, I'm sure he wanted that way so he could watch me with his good eye. My hand went to my cheek to feel the scar. It felt very deep but I have yet to see it in the mirror.

Sergei seemed to notice as he placed his hand on my cheek and went over the scar with his thumb. Feeling a little uncomfortable, I shifted in my seat, and looked up at him questionably.

"It is pretty deep, but you will soon forget about it, and become accustomed to it. It takes only time." He said as he slowly moved his hand across my cheek; his hand brushing the hair away from my face as his hand moved slowly from my face back to his thigh. He was looking at me almost tenderly but then looked away. It made me uncomfortable and made me wish that I had tied my hair back. Though I can't say that I didn't like it, even if it was uncomfortable, and it is all so new.

The rest of the trip was continued in silence. It took only 5 minutes to reach the surface. The train came to a complete stop; we waited a while to let the other passengers disembark first. As we stepped off the train and left the station area, we finally made our way into another corridor and then more rooms. We then went into another area that opened up to a corridor with a locked door and a keypad at the end of it. Ivan made way for Sergei to punch in a passcode. Ivan resumed leading the way alongside the side of a tunnel.

We walked outside of the tunnel, the fresh air feeling good; I took a deep breath as we walked over to an almost empty parking lot. There in the lot was parked a huge black SUV with a driver wearing dark sunglasses. I can see a city close by as well mountains and forests. It was definitely an improvement of the desert of West Africa. Sergei next to me stopped and placed his hand on my back.

"Raccoon City, the main headquarters of Umbrella and over there is the Arklay Mountains." Sergei said as he watched me looking over the scenery. It was very beautiful indeed, it was noon time now, and the weather was perfect. The sounds of birds filled the sky and a slight breeze played with our hair. We continued to the car, as we got closer, I could see the Umbrella insignia on the side of it.

We climbed in, Sergei on my right, and Ivan sitting behind us. As soon as we settled in our seats, the driver started off towards the city.

"Before we start your training, I thought that I would treat you to a surprise. Being away from the States for so long, I am sure you miss many things."

I couldn't help but smile though feeling a little uneasy. I had to ask. "Do you do this for all the new employees?"

He gave a laugh "No, only you. As my new personal assistant, trust is very important. Trust builds loyalty and that is what I need."

"What type of training would I need? I already know how to answer phones and take notes." I asked as I studied him.

"You won't be just a secretary but an extension of myself carrying out various jobs. You already have much of the skills such as hand to hand combat, weapons capabilities, and espionage. Just need to fine tune them to beyond that of a normal soldier. "

I gave a smile; I'm starting to feel better about this job already. Sergei smiled as well and patted my knee. I looked out the car window, the open road quickly changed to that of Raccoon City. The city itself was very nice, clean, and almost welcoming. It was smaller than most cities but still had a very good landscape about it.

As we drove more into the city, I felt a new life starting, and wondered just where it would take me. I brush a piece of hair away from my eyes as I continue to watch out the window. I can feel Sergei watching me, I know it is a lot more than my skills that made him choose me but I still feel uncomfortable about the whole arrangement. This man aided in killing my team, he helped kidnap me, labeling me as a war criminal, and blackmailing me into working for him. Will I ever feel comfortable with this man or this job? Will this change me forever into something that not even I would recognize myself at the end? I will find out soon enough.


End file.
